Clenching-machine.



burr era FFICE.

JAMES D. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'IO FRANKLINP.

. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GLENCHING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, James D. SMITH, a citizenof the United. States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements inClenching-Mach1nes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines adapt ed for use in clenching thewires or rods of metal fabric upon its frame or other member in which itis secured.

In gratings, grilles, window guards and like articles, the woven metalfabric that is, fabric comprising angularly disposed wires or rodsinterlaced togetheris usually confined in a frame or hinder secured toits edges, the ends of the wires, comprising the fabric, projectingthrough holes in the frame and being bent back on the outer face of theframe to clench and securely fasten the fabric and frame together intoone solid unit. In the ordinary nanufacture of such articles the fabricis first woven, then cut to the desired'shape, after which the ends ofthe wire, forming the edges thereof, are thrust through holes in themarginal frame and bent over by hand; that is, the workman hammers theends of the wires bac: against the outer faces of the frame. This taskis exceedingly irk some and laborious and requires consid' erable timefor its operation as each protruding wire must be clenched down toobtain the best results. lVit-h a machine embodying the presentinvention, I am able to clench down all of the protruding wires on anyside of the fabric with one operation of the machine, thus facilitatingthe work and making it possible to form a more per feet and secureconnection and as a result, a more substantial panel.

One of the principal objects of this in vention is to eliminate theirksome and laborious operation heretofore found necessary in clenchingor fastening the metal fabric to its frame. to effect a more uniform andsecure clenching together of the parts and to greatly cheapen the costof manufacture of articles of this kind.

Another object is the provision of means whereby fabrics of differentmesh may be operated upon by one and the same machine, said means beingcapable of instant adjustment to accommodatethe machine to fabrics ofdifferent mesh.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 25, 1912.

Patented Jan. 21,1913.

Serial No. 686,072.

Other objects and advantages will be found in the course of thisspecification, and with all of said objects and advantages in view, thisinvention consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forthand particularly defined in the claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing furnished herewith,in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying one formof the present invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical, transverse section takenon the line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. Sis a detail, vertical, transversesection taken on the line 83 of Fig. 1 and Fig. l is a fragmental planof the machine showing a fragment of metal fabric and its frame inposition upon the machine.

The drawing shows a simple form of the invention chosen to illustrateits application, and in the form illustrated, the machine has aframe-like support 10, co1nprising legs 11, and a pair of longitudinallyextending rails 12, supported upon the upper ends of said legs. Therails 12, may be formed with laterally projecting ribs 13, for receivingguide bars of the fabric sup porting table as will be hereinafter setforth. Resting upon said support 10, is a table 14, either stationarilysupported upon said support, or as shown, slidably mounted thereon bymeans of guide bars 15, secured to the under side of the table 141-, andhaving grooves into which. project the ribs 13, of the rails 12. It isobvious that the table, thus described, may be reoiprocated upon itssupport, and driving means are shown for accomplishing suchreciprocatory movements. In the simple form of driving meansillustrated, a rack bar 16, is employed, said rack bar being secured tothe under side of the table and meshing with a gear wheel. 17, of atrain of gears 1:, 18, 19. 20, carried by shafts 21, 22, 23,respectively, said shafts being journaled in bearing boxes here shown asmounted upon bars 24, secured to the intermediate legs 11, of thesupport 10. Tight and loose pulleys 25, 26, 26 25 are mounted upon theshaft 2, the pulleys 25 being the tight ones and the pulleys 26, 26, theloose ones. Belts 27, 28, are trained over said pulleys and run to asuitably driven ulley 29, one of said belts being a twisted belt forreversing the direction of movement of the' train of gears, and thetable. A simple form of belt shifter 30, is carried by the support 10,and furnishes means for shift ing the belts from the loose pulleys ontothe tight pulleys. By shifting the belt 27, upon the tight pulley 25 thetable is moved in the direction of the arrow X and by shifting thetwisted belt 28, upon the tightpulley 25, the direction of rotation ofthe gears is reversed so that the table is moved in the oppositedirection.

A series of fabric holding devices are carried by the table 14, and ashere shown, comprise blocks 31, extending up from the base of the table,each block having a foot 32, slidably mounted in an overhung groove 33,that extends longitudinally of the table near its front edge, wherebythe blocks may be slid from one end to the other of the groove to changetheir location therein. In plan said blocks are preferably of square ordiamond shape and made to conform to and loosely fit in the intersticesof the metal fabric as shown in Fig. 4. A simple and practical expedientfor providing the over hung groove of the table, is shown in the drawingand comprises a longitudinally extending angle iron 34, and twolongitudinally extending bars 35, 36, arranged above the same and spacedaway from the front edge of the main plate of the table 14, and adjacentguide rail 15, as more clearly indicated in Fig. 3. These parts arebolted or otherwise rigidly secured together as shown.

Associated with the table is a tool post 37, which may be eitherstationary or movable longitudinally of the table, here being shown asstationarily secured to the support 10, and projecting up in front ofthe table 14, where it is provided with a head 38, arranged to receive aclenching or wire bending tool 39, whose function is to clench or bendback the ends of the wires against which it strikes. The tool is shownas formed with a head 40, and having an outwardly bowed working face 41,preferably grooved as shown at 42, in Fig. 3. Back of the head 40, thetool is formed with a shank 43, which rests in a socket in the head 38,and is secured in place by set screws 4-4, 45. The set screw 44, isthreaded in the head of the post and bears down upon the shank or stem43, of the tool, whereas the set screw 45, is threaded in a yoke 46,secured to the head 38, and bears against the end of the tool. Thissimple expedient forms a very efficient one for rigidly holding the toolin place in the head 38.

In the use of this machine, a panel of metal fabric A, is first woven,after which the bars B, of its frame, are placed upon the edges thereofwith the wires at said edges thrust outward through holes in the bars.'The panel is then laid upon the table 14, with the fabric holding blocks31, in place in certain of the interstices of the fabric, as clearlyindicated in Fig. 4, the tool having been adjusted in position where theouter face of the bar passes said tool in close proximity thereto. Thetable may be moved from its central position (see Fig. 1) to a positioneither to the right or to the left thereof to accommodatealo-ng panel,so that when one belt is shifted to start the machine and thereby movethe table, and the fabric thereon, past the tool, the latter engages theprotruding wires and clenches or bends them. back against the outer facea of the binder frame B, as clearly seen in Fig. 4. After one edge ofthe panel has been run past the tool and the ends of the wire clencheddown, the panel is turned over, bringing the other edge into position tobe acted upon by the tool, after which the ends of the panel may beclenched down as heretofore set forth.

It is obvious that the work of clenching down the wires may be done veryquickly with a machine embodying the invention set forth herein, andthat a more uniform clenching of the wires may be had and consequently amore perfect, rigid connection afforded between the fabric and frame.

I realize the various alterations and modifications of this device arepossible without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do nottherefore desire to limit myself to the exact form of construction shownand described.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A machine of the character described, in which is combined a tablesupport, a metal fabric receiving table slidably mounted thereon, tablemoving means, a stationary tool post located adjacent to one edge ofsaid table and carried by said support, and a clenching tool held bysaid tool post in position to engage the fabric.

2. A machine of the character described, in which is combined a support,a table, movable longitudinally of said support, table moving means, astationarily supported tool post located adjacent to one edge of saidtable and carried by said support, a clenching tool slidably mounted insaid tool post, and means for securing said tool in fixed position insaid post.

3. A machine of the character described, in which is combined a tablesupport, a table, slidably mounted on said support, fabric holding meanson said table, a stationary tool post carried by said support, and aclenching tool held by said post in position to act on an edge of metalfabric panel held on said table.

4. A machine of the character described, in which is combined a tablesupport, a table, slidably mounted thereon and having a longitudinallyextending groove adjacent to one edge, a series of blocks securedin saidgroove and adapted to hold in fixed position a metal fabric panel to beoperated on, a tool post carried by said support, and a clenching toolheld by said post in position adjacent to an edge of said metal fabric.

5. A machine of the character described, in which is combined a pair ofrails, supports therefor, a table having a pair of slide bars running onsaid rails, said table having an overhung groove located adjacent oneedge thereof, a series of blocks, each having a foot slidably secured insaid groove, a tool post carried by said support, and a clenching toolheld by said tool post in position to engage and bend back the edgewires of the metal fabric carried by said table.

6. A machine of the character described, in which is combined a pair ofrails, supports therefor, a table having an overhung groove locatedadjacent one edge thereof, a series of blocks, each having a. footslidably secured in said groove, a tool post carried by carried by saidtable, a train of power driven gears, one of which meshes with said rackbar, a tool post carried by said support, and a clenching tool held bysaid tool post in position to engage the wires at the edge of the panel.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Chicago, Cookcounty, lllinois, this 19th day of March, 1912.

JAMES D. SMITH.

Witnesses:

EDWARD MGCLURE, FRANKLIN P. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

